Offender made ex partner's life hell despite being behind bars at Polmont YOI

Charles Johnston (23) appeared from custody via video link at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday having pleaded guilty to engaging in a course of conduct at Polmont YOI which caused his former partner fear and alarm between January 1 and June 7 last year.

Procurator fiscal depute Danielle McDonald said: “The witness had been in a relationship with the accused for two years while he was both in and out of prison. He received a custodial sentence in 2019 and was sent to Polmont YOI.

"The accused was in a relationship with her at that time. He continued communications with him until March 2020 when she told him she no longer wished to continue the relationship.

"The accused continued to send her letters from the prison after she ended the relationship and would regularly contact her by phone. In January 2021 they decided to recommence the relationship.

"She found the initial communications with the accused generally fine. However, as the contact continued the accused started wanting to know everything she did and became more controlling of her.”

The court heard the woman was telephoned and texted around 80 times over the period of three days in May last year.

"He made calls from a prison issue mobile phone,” said the procurator fiscal depute. “And from other unknown numbers. He told her he no longer wished to be in a relationship with him.”

The messages then became more abusive, with Johnston calling her names and threatening to pour petrol over her car.”

Lynn Swan, defence solicitor, said: “It was an on/off relationship for two-and-a-half years. He was finding it difficult because she was out and about and he wasn’t able to spend that time with her."

Sheriff Craig Harris said: “This is serious because it’s a case of domestic abuse exercised from the prison environment, where the complainer would expect she was safe from you.”

He sentenced Johnston, address listed as Polmont YOI, to four months in prison consecutive to the sentence he is currently serving and made him subject to a non-harassment order not to have any contact with his ex-partner for 12 months.